Parallel-ruler.



' G. W. YOUNG.

PARALLEL RULER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20 1909.

Patented Oct. 19, 1909.

WITNESSES: W

ANDREW. B. GRAHAM o0. Fnawmnwfiuwins. wAsnmwu NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. YOUNG,'0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

PARALLEL-RULER.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. YoUNo,a citizen of the United States, residing at Seat tle, in the county of King and State of l/Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Parallel-Rulers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to parallel rulers and is especially designed for use in ruling lines for ledges or other account books. In ruling such books difliculty is ordinarily had to cause the rule to move to equal spaces at the opposite ends by reason of the book pages next to the binding back being curved. To overcome such difficulty is the object of this invention.

The invention consists of a ruler having its traction wheels adjustable so as to traverse the surfaces of the pages which are plane and having the ruler proper disposed at one side or the other to extend over the curved surface of the page being ruled.

The invention further consists in the novel construction and adaptation of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure-1 is a plan view of a ruler constructed to embody my invention; and Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken through 33 of Figs. 1 and 2 and representing a pencil in the receptacle therefor. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail perspective views 0 parts shown in the preceding views.

The reference numeral 10 designates an arbor provided with a key-way 11 extending its entire length for the reception of splines 12 by which traction rollers 13 are secured at various longitudinal positions upon the arbor. These rollers are of equal diameters so that in rotating they carry the arbor uniformly.

14 is a ruler which is detachably connected to the arbor by clips 15 each formed with a loop 16 for encircling the arbor and arms 1'7. which terminate in jaws 18 which are adapted to clamp the ruler by means of a nutted screw 19 passing through apertures in the clip arms. The nuts 20 for these screws are desirably provided with milled peripheries to facilitate the rotation of the same.

Slidably fitted upon the arbor is a bushing which, as best shown in Fig. 4, is formed of a plate bent to provide a tubular portion 21 having at the front a slot 23 extending its entire length, while from the diametrically opposite side project arms 22. The distance Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed January 20, 1909. Serial No.

Patented Oct. 19, 1909.

between the arms 22 at their juncture with said tubular portion is such as to accommodate the loop of a clip therebetween, as illustrated in Fig. 1. These arms are apertured, as at 24, to provide journal bearings for the axle 25 of a trailer-wheel 26. For marking perpendicular lines, as in ruling ledger columns in books, a holder for a pencil or ruling pen may advantageously be provided. This holder consists of a socket 27 for the pen or pencil, and has a shank 28 extending between an arm 17 and the nut 20 of the clip which is positioned upon said bushing and for securement the shank is provided with an aperture for the clamping screw 19 thereof. The pencil or pen, as the case may be, is adjusted lengthwise of the instrument by first releasing the clip to which the holder is attached through loosening the respective nut 20 and then shifting the bush to carry the holder to a desired position with respect to the ruler and then securing the same thereat by manipulating the nut.

For ruling vertical lines the instrument is moved toward or from the operator by causing it to travel on the rollers while a downward finger-pressure is put upon a clip arm to elevate the trailer-wheel and depress the holder to present the marker to the work. The ruler is shifted to one side or the other by a proper lateral pressure from the index finger of a hand upon the clip while the other fingers are employed to steady the arbor and depress the trailer-wheel sufficient to raise the ruler from the work. In moving the ruler for successive horizontal lines upon a page the instrument is controlled so that both the rollers and the wheel are in contact with the page being ruled. When adjusted the lines are made by a pen or pencil drawn along the ruler after the latter has been pressed firmly down to prevent its displacement.

The rollers are, as before alluded to, capable of being ,moved longitudinally of the arbor to allow their traveling in a track of more or less width, as in ruling a narrow page of a book or where the page is out of a plane.

Having described my invention, what I claim, is

1. In a parallel ruler, the combination of an arbor, two rollers of equal diameters splined to the arbor and adapted to be moved longitudinally thereof, a ruler, connections between the ruler and the arbor, a trailernected to the arbor so as to be rotatable therewith and adjustable longitudinally thereof, a ruler, connections between the arbor and the ruler such that the ruler is movable longitudinally with respect to the arbor, a bushing adjustably connected with the arbor, arms upon the bushing, and a wheel having its axle journaled in said arms.

3. In a parallel rule, the combination of an arbor, two rollers of equal diameters splined to said arbor, a ruler, connections between the ruler and the arbor, a bushing for the arbor and one of said connections, said bushing being adjustable lengthwise of the arbor, two arms provided upon the bushing, and a wheel rotatably mounted in said arms.

4. In a parallel ruler, the combination of an arbor provided with a key-way, rollers mounted upon the arbor and secured thereto by splines slidably seated in said key way, a bushing upon the arbor and provided with two rearwardly extending arms,

a wheel having its axle journaled in said arms, a ruler, clips encircling the arbor and provided with jaws for engaging the ruler, and means for effecting such engagement of the clips.

5. In a parallel rule, the combination of an arbor provided with a key-way extending its entire length, two rollers of equal diameters mounted upon the arbor, a spline for each roller and seated in said key-way, a ruler disposed in parallelism with the arbor, a plurality of clips for connecting the ruler with the arbor, each said clip being comprised of a looped member having two arms which terminate in jaws adapted to grip said ruler, a nutted screw for effecting the gripping of the ruler, a bushing for the arbor, said bushing having a longitudinal slot and also being provided with two arms which are spaced to accommodate one of said clips therebetween, a wheel mounted for rotation in the bushing-arms, and a pencil holder arranged for attachment to one of said clips.

. GEORGE V. YOUNG. WVitnesses:

Homon BARNES, A. B. SMITH. 

